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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24725146">The Fate of the Planet Rests in Stephen's Trembling Hands</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/melanoms/pseuds/melanoms'>melanoms</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Eye of Agamatto, Gen, Gossip, Insecure Stephen Strange, stephen strange is a little shit student</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:56:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,120</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24725146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/melanoms/pseuds/melanoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stephen stumbles upon the weekly meetings of his mentors. But his quest to eavesdrop doesn't go as expected: causing even The Ancient One to bend her own rules and ask for a redo. The three of them will have to find a new way to blow off steam after spending a week teaching the arrogant doctor.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Fate of the Planet Rests in Stephen's Trembling Hands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Copper_Cat/gifts">Copper_Cat</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy Birthday, CopperCat :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sitting around a table with Mordo and Wong, The Ancient One suppressed a grin as she sipped her tea. Mordo punched the pillow beneath him and readjusted in his seat.</p><p>“Are you <em> sure </em> about this one?” He leaned forward and eyed The Ancient One.</p><p>She set down her tea and raised her eyebrows.</p><p>“Stephen Strange is meant to be the best of us.”</p><p>“But he’s so….so….” Mordo waved his hands through the air.</p><p>“Arrogant,” Wong finished.</p><p>“Yet, needy.” Mordo pointed a finger at him.</p><p>Wong buried his face in his hands and groaned. </p><p>“He has no respect for the tomes, disregards the rules, and he’s <em> always </em>complaining about—”</p><p>“HIS HANDS!” Mordo shook his in agony.</p><p>“I mean...” Wong shifted on his poof. “How many more times do we have to tell him the mystic arts are indifferent to the condition of his hands?”</p><p>The Ancient One sipped her tea. “At least six more.”</p><p>Mordo threw his head back. </p><p>“And <em> he </em> is supposed to save the earth from demonic consumption and protect our reality? We are all doomed!”</p><p>Wong shook his head and chuckled. “He called me Adele. I am clearly a—”</p><p>“Beyoncé,” he and The Ancient One finished in unison.</p><p>The Ancient One set aside her now empty cup. She clasped her hands, resting them on the table, and leaned forward. Raising her eyebrows at Mordo, she outstretched her hand.</p><p>“I see that you aren’t finished yet. So, please, continue.”</p><p>Mordo’s eyes bore into her teacup as he shook his head.</p><p>“His assumptions will put everyone at risk if he doesn’t overcome his ego. And yet, the fate of the world rests in his incompetent, trembling hands.”</p><p>He raised his hands as they mockly shook in front of him. Slamming his palm to the table, he pointed a finger at The Ancient One. </p><p>“If it were <em> anyone </em> else telling me these things about him, I would have already thrown him out by now.”</p><p>The Ancient One leaned back and looked upward. A gentle grin crept across her lips as she took a deep breath. </p><p>“Oh, Mordo. You—”</p><p>Her eyes blew wide open as she snapped her gaze to the doorway.</p><p>There stood Stephen Strange, scruffy and disgruntled as ever, with a pile of stolen texts in his shaking arms.</p><p>“So <em> this </em> is what you guys do at your weekly meeting?” he whimpered. “Drink tea and <em> insult </em> me?”</p><p>“Oh, Stephen.” The Ancient One offered him a remorseful gaze.</p><p>But scowling at his alleged mentors, Stephen shook his head and dashed down the hallway.</p><p>The Ancient One dragged her hand down her face. </p><p>“Oh shit.”</p><p>Wong furrowed his brow and glanced at her. “Is this the timeline where he…”</p><p>“Runs out of the compound and gets hit by a bus? YES!”</p><p>She sprang to her feet and opened a portal to the library. Plucking the Eye of Agamotto from its dedicated display, she revealed the Time Stone and took a deep breath. Her eyes flickered between Mordo and Wong.</p><p>“This never happened.”</p><p>They raised their hands in defense.</p><p>“No, no.”</p><p>“Of course not.”</p><p>The Ancient One gave them a curt nod before it was time to rewind, rewind, rewind.</p><p>They were sitting at the table and sipping tea.</p><p>She tossed the Eye of Agamotto into her robes and cleared her throat.</p><p>“No use hiding, Stephen. I can sense your presence.”</p><p>Mordo and Wong started snickering. She pleaded with her eyes for them to recompose themselves. The two sloppily committed to the task at hand.</p><p>Stephen slowly peeked around the doorway. Failing to hide his textbook contraband, his eyes darted all around the room.</p><p>“Yeah, I, uh. I just wanted to know what you talked about at these weekly meetings.”</p><p>She clasped her hands and gently rested them on the table.</p><p>“Student progress, new curriculum, and, of course…” She smirked and raised her eyebrows at him. “The best drugs to spike the tea with.”</p><p>She gave him a wink. </p><p>Adjusting the books in his arms, Stephen tittered and nodded. The Ancient One smiled at him.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Stephen. We have more important matters to tend to than gossip. Not everything is about you.”</p><p>She raised her eyebrows.</p><p>“Right, of course.” He swallowed. “Sorry to intrude.”</p><p>The Ancient One glanced at Mordo who immediately snapped his jaw shut. He shook out his stunned face and threw his teacup to his lips.</p><p>Oops, no. That was The Ancient One’s tea. Too much honey.</p><p>“Is there anything else that we can do for you, Stephen?” she sang.</p><p>“No, no.” He shook his head. “I should, I should study.”</p><p>Stephen glanced at his books. He raised his gaze to Wong and his pupils blew wide open.</p><p>“I mean, I only...I didn’t steal, this isn’t…”</p><p>Wong shifted on his poof and waved his hand.</p><p>“I will pardon your theft.”</p><p>He slowly nodded and Stephen breathed a sigh of relief. Narrowing his eyes, Wong pointed a finger at him. </p><p>“But not your late fees.”</p><p>“There are late fees?”</p><p>Wong smirked.</p><p>“Oh,” Stephen chuckled. “So you do have a sense of humor.”</p><p>But he furrowed his brow now that Wong’s expression was completely blank. Stephen grimaced at The Ancient One and pointed down the hallway.</p><p>“Okay, um. I’m just, I’m just going to go.”</p><p>He shuffled off.</p><p>The Ancient One held her breath as Stephen’s footsteps grew quieter. After he was sufficiently out of earshot, she let out an exhale as Mordo and Wong erupted in laughter.</p><p>Reclaiming her tea, she smirked behind her cup. After a sip, she pursed her lips and set it down. In an awkward exchange of clearing throats and shifting on poofs, Mordo and Wong recomposed themselves and wrapped their hands around their own teacups.</p><p>The Ancient One took another sip and raised her eyebrows at Wong.</p><p>“So you were telling us about the time you astroprojected into his soup?”</p><p>“Yes, it terrified him. But now…”</p><p>His eyes darted to the doorway and then to Mordo’s eager face. He leaned in and spoke barely above a whisper.</p><p>“He tried talking to it last week. I think I might be able to convince him that it's sentient.”</p><p>Mordo stifled a laugh into a snort and buckled over his tea.</p><p>The Ancient One leaned back and took a deep breath. Her consciousness abandoned the conversation for a fraction of a second to check on Stephen. Her astroform hovered behind him as his hands trembled over his keyboard.</p><p>This was his twelfth apology email to Christine. It was a far better version than the first.</p><p>The Ancient One smiled and returned to her physical body.</p><p>Yes, Stephen. </p><p>Sometimes it was okay to make things about you.</p><p>They would meet in the Mirror Dimension from now on.</p>
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